December 9, 2025
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has initiated proceedings on a petition filed by religious scholar Engineer Mirza Muhammad Ali, challenging an inquiry launched against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The court has sought detailed replies from both the FIA and the Punjab Quran Board (PQB) regarding the matter.
During the hearing on December 8, Advocate Nabeel Javed Kahloon, counsel for the petitioner, appeared before the court, arguing that the FIA had initiated the inquiry without providing any prior notice or affording his client an opportunity to present his stance.
Advocate Kahloon informed the court that the FIA had sent an old social media video clip of the scholar to the Punjab Quran Board to obtain an edict (decree) on its contents. In response, the Board declared the petitioner “guilty” of blasphemy.
‘Punjab Quran Board has no authority to issue edicts’
The counsel vigorously challenged the Board’s action, arguing that the PQB has no legal authority to issue such religious edicts or comment on religious interpretations. He emphasized that the Board’s jurisdiction is strictly limited to matters concerning the printing, publication, and textual accuracy of the Holy Qur’an only.
Kahloon sought the court’s intervention, asking it to declare the PQB’s edict void and to direct the FIA to immediately terminate the inquiry against Engineer Muhammad Ali. Following the submission, the court issued notices to the respondents, requiring them to submit their replies before the next date of hearing, scheduled for December 22.
FIA’s ‘mala fide intent’ and lack of expertise
Speaking to Voicepk, Advocate Kahloon elaborated on the legal faults in the investigation. He contended that FIA personnel lack the necessary expertise to independently investigate sensitive crimes like blasphemy offences.
“An FIA inspector does not have necessary training or education in matters of Islamic jurisprudence to investigate whether any accused has committed offences under blasphemy,” Kahloon asserted.
He further argued that the FIA’s action of referring the matter to the PQB without the petitioner’s knowledge constitutes a violation of its statutory duty under the FIA Act, 1974, which requires independent investigation. According to the counsel, this demonstrates “mala fide intent and abuse of authority.”
The referral to a religious board for a matter involving alleged criminal conduct was described as a jurisdictional error. Kahloon stressed that the Punjab Quran Board lacks any statutory authority to investigate or comment on the religious interpretations or speeches of private citizens, rendering its subsequent report non-legal and non-binding.
Lack of transparency and abuse of power
The counsel highlighted a concerning lack of transparency, noting that the FIA failed to provide Engineer Mirza Muhammad Ali with copies of any communication, letters, or questions sent to the Punjab Quran Board regarding the inquiry.
Kahloon maintained that the entire inquiry was conducted with “clear malice, evident bias, and disregard for legal procedure.” The referral to the PQB, despite its lack of authority, was cited as an “abuse of power,” where the Board’s non-legal and non-binding report was unjustly made the basis for the proceedings. The petition specifically sought the court’s direction to suspend the inquiry report dated 03.09.2025, issued by the Punjab Quran Board, as well as the related inquiry (No. 4552-2025) being conducted by the FIA/NCCA against the scholar.
Mirza Muhammad Ali was recently granted post-arrest bail by the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi bench in a blasphemy case.